Evolution of a Wellesley electrical box

June 24, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

I happened upon Wellesley High School’s Evolutions program team finishing its electrical box painting at the intersection of Kingsbury and Linden Streets on Wednesday. They started it on Monday and were expecting to have it finished this week.

Student Ellie Ostler says the box features a frog, spotted salamander, and fairy shrimp, reflecting the inhabitants of vernal pools in Wellesley like the ones studied by Evolutions students this year. Ostler and Luke Graves came up with the design, and visual arts teacher Brian Corey from the Evolutions Program provided support throughout the process.

This is 1 of 4 new electrical box designs emerging in town this spring and summer, adding to the existing ones previously approved and completed through the program coordinated by the Wellesley Police Department and the Town’s Public Art Committee.

More artists will have their shot in the fall at giving additional electrical boxes in town a new look.

electrical box kinsbury ellie ostler — Ellie Ostler nearing the homestretch for this painting.

A new Traffic Box Art interactive map with photos, locations, and artist information will be available later this summer, according to the town.

evolutions electrical box brian corey — WHS teacher Brian Corey joined forces with students on this electrical box painting.

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Wellesley summer camp spotlight: Write Ahead brings critical thinking to writing

June 24, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

Summer Writing Classes for Grades 3-10

SPONSORED POST: Raise your child’s academic performance through Write Ahead’s summer writing programs. Write Ahead’s persuasive and analytic writing classes build foundational skills that help students master expository writing and critical thinking. Write Ahead employs a structured teaching methodology that aligns with how students naturally learn. 95% of students agreed or strongly agreed that after completing a class, their writing quality improved.

Write Ahead, Wellesley

Parent Testimonials:

“My son has enjoyed the summer class so much he would like to continue in the fall semester. That speaks volumes about the quality of the classes.” 10th grader’s mother, Needham

“Our daughter’s writing has evolved greatly with the guidance provided and we are thrilled with how much she has learned. In addition, she looks forward to the classes.” 4th grader’s mother, Wellesley

“My son enjoys his writing class, and likes the instructor. It’s great to see that he is learning to analyze what he’s reading, to think critically, and to structure and substantiate his claims.” 6th grader’s mother, Westwood

“My daughter feels she learns a new strategy and her writing advances with each class. Write Ahead deserves its great reputation.” 8th grader’s mother, Sharon, MA

Write Ahead, Wellesley

Classes start June 28th and are offered online:

3rd & 4th Grade—Develop & Support a Claim

5th & 6th Grade—Argument & Literary Analysis

7th & 8th Grade—Literary & Historic Essays

9th & 10th Grade—Advanced Literary & Historic Analysis

ISEE/SSAT Test Prep

College Essay Writing

Learn more: https://www.write-ahead.com/classessummer2021

Lift your child’s writing quality today!

School’s out, but you can listen to Wellesley Middle School podcasts all summer long

June 22, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Middle School’s audiodrama podcasting club was largely spawned by the pandemic as a group activity for students to take part in remotely. Now the fruits of their labor are available to anyone who wants to listen.

The students, led by drama teacher and auditorium manager Katie Speed, wrote, acted in, recorded, edited, and produced two shows: Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, which will be continuing in the fall, and The Wayfinder Saga, which is a complete, 6-episode arc that Speed touts as “truly an epic!” Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer tells the real story behind this classic and quirky holiday tale, “and Grandma isn’t as sweet as she seems,” according to the show notes.

Speed acted on a podcast herself for years. “I did all of my recording remotely, as the entire production staff was either in New York or LA, so I knew that recording a podcast could be done 100% remotely.”

Of the WMS club, which relied on Zoom and other technologies such as GarageBand, Speed says members had to get creative: “The students did all of this completely on their own, only with me supervising, and I couldn’t be prouder!”

About a dozen students consistently took part in the club, with others making cameo appearances throughout the year. Some of these students would have otherwise been involved in live drama productions, if not for COVID-19, while others were new to drama.

Skills learned included storytelling, sound design, and voice acting.

The club only met for an hourly weekly, so it took a while to pull shows together. They started in January, and a flurry of activity—including a 14-hour editing push by students Anson and Joss Richman over one recent weekend—got The Wayfinder podcast across the finish line.

More: Dr. Nolin’s Dispatch—Natick Public Schools podcast hits Spotify

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Wellesley summer camp listings 2021 — find the experience of a lifetime

June 22, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

The Swellesley Report’s Summer Camps page is now updated with over 75 camps in Wellesley and beyond. It’s time to sign your child up for the summer camp experience of a lifetime. Whether they’re into coding, arts and crafts, sports, drama, or nature, the perfect camp is out there for them.

Swellesley’s camps page is sponsored by iCode. Comprehensive K-12 programs in computer science.

Contact Deborah for more info on inclusion of your camp located in Wellesley or elsewhere, or for advertising on Swellesley. Camp parents and guardians: Please let camps know that you found them here, if you did…thanks.

Black Lives Matter flags now common at Wellesley Public School buildings

June 16, 2021 by Deborah Brown 11 Comments

Although Black Lives Matter flags displayed in Wellesley buildings earlier this year—first at the middle school, followed by Wellesley High School—received little attention outside the school community, the subsequent introduction of such flags at the elementary and pre-K levels has triggered a response from those who say the banners have no place in the public schools.

A letter to The Swellesley Report editors equates the BLM flag with anti-Semitism. The 50 signers call for the flags to be removed from the Wellesley Public Schools saying, “…recent crimes against Jews have been a direct result of BLM’s political and violent rhetoric. Physical assaults against Jewish people have been reported to authorities in, just to name a few, California, Arizona, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Florida. The BLM flags cause a lot of fear for Jewish students, and that should not be tolerated…we do not seek to take the flags down because we do not believe in the fundamental cause of liberty for everyone. We seek to take them down because they are political in nature and are divisive.”

School administrators say that a history of systemic racism against Black Americans is reason enough to keep the flags as a way to communicate to their Black students, faculty, and staff that their presence is valued.

BLM vs. BLM

Wellesley Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David Lussier makes a distinction between the Black Lives Matter organization and the flags that have been raised in the schools.

Lussier said in an email, “The decision to display Black Lives Matter flags at any of our schools has been the result of conversations at those schools among staff and parents. (And students at the secondary level.) There is no district-wide mandate that this must be done, but we fully support this practice. We don’t see this as any type of political statement but rather a reinforcement of our belief in the dignity and safety of our Black students, staff, and families. This is also not an endorsement of the political organization of the same name (which has a different logo.)”

Lussier says the Wellesley Public Schools have worked closely over the years with the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of antisemitism and bigotry. The organization has expanded its mission over the years to include exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online. The Wellesley Public Schools report to the ADL incidents of antisemitism that have occurred in the district. The ADL uses the information, along with that from schools and organizations across the country, to track trends.

“The ADL takes a similar approach to BLM,” Lussier continued, “and does not consider the flag nor the slogan to be antisemitic. Like WPS, the ADL views the BLM sign as an affirmation of support for the Black community and draws a distinction between this broader social movement and the specific agenda of the BLM political organization.”

Wellesley’s banners and flags

Black Lives Matter activities have picked up in Wellesley over the past few years, from the installation of yard signs to the organization of vigils and protests. This has included Wellesley High School students walking out of classes in a 2019 protest organized by Young Ethnic Scholars. Then in May 2020, hundreds filled the streets of Wellesley to protest against injustice and police brutality after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis.

Black Lives Matter and We Believe Black Lives Matter or We Believe That Black Lives Matter banners started appearing in school buildings earlier this year, initially at Wellesley Middle School and Wellesley High.

Wellesley High School Principal Jamie Chisum in a letter to the WHS community wrote in March, “So, this week we put up the donated flag in our cafeteria. We believe in black lives matter and that is what this flag represents. Our flag does not advocate for any political position or agenda. It does not mean only black lives matter, but that black lives matter as well. The raising of this flag breathes life into all four of our Core Values: Respect for Human Differences, Cooperative and Caring Relationships, Commitment to Community, and Academic Excellence. We clearly must do more than simply hang a flag to truly honor all of these values for our black students, staff, and visitors, but we believe this is a lasting symbol to remind us of the need to continue our work towards equity.”

Since then, a steady stream of activity has taken place at schools for younger students. Dr. Charmie Curry, director of diversity, equity & inclusion at Wellesley Public Schools, last week shared an update with the Wellesley School Committee on the past year’s accomplishments, including racial justice lessons during which students discussed and reflected on the Black Lives Matter movement (about 33 minutes into Wellesley Media recording).

“I always love to see how students are taking in important current day topics” and writing about it, she said.

bates flag — Flag at Bates Elementary School, displayed during School Committee presentation

The Fiske Elementary School Council in March posted an agenda item on a Black Lives Matter flag, which included the point that “We need to make sure the goal of placing the flag is not misunderstood by being clear on the purpose.”

Hardy Principal Grant Smith welcomed back families from April vacation by informing them about plans to hang a “We Believe Black Lives Matter” flag in the gym. “The WMS decision sparked conversation amongst WPS administrators, faculty and staff about the need for a flag in each of the district’s buildings. At Hardy, we are committed to affirming the statement that We believe that Black Lives Matter,” he wrote.

Bates and Hunnewell Elementary Schools did likewise with announcements they would be displaying “We Believe Black Lives Matter” and “We Believe That Black Lives Matter” flags, respectively, in their gym and front hallway.

The most recent development, as the Wellesley Public School year winds down, took place at Wellesley’s PAWS pre-school. Director Becca Zieminski informed families on June 7 that on “Thursday, June 10th, the new Black Lives Matter and LGBTQIA+ flags will be installed at P.A.W.S. All classrooms will then create individual classroom flags that represent the children in each classroom and the smaller classroom flags will be added to a larger unified PAWS flag that will be hung up in the school.”

Beyond Wellesley

The Massachusetts Teacher Association endorses support for what it calls “The Black Lives Matter at School movement,” which is aimed at engaging classrooms and communities to support racial and social justice. Black Lives Matter at School is centered around ending “zero tolerance” policies and replacing those policies with restorative justice programs in all schools; hiring more black teachers; and mandating black history and ethnic studies in preK-12 schools.

Some Massachusetts schools, including in Marblehead, have met resistance from residents.

School districts in some other parts of the country are not on board with such movements. At Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla., an English teacher hung a Black Lives Matter flag outside her classroom in support of students processing the death of Reginald Boston, a 20-year-old Black man. Boston was shot to death in Jacksonville by police on Jan. 21, 2020 during an undercover police operation.

The district told the teacher to remove the flag on the grounds that the display violated policy on political speech by employees. The teacher refused to comply, and was reassigned to non-teaching duties. A lawsuit was filed last month in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida alleging the teacher’s First Amendment rights have been violated.

Not just a matter for the schools

While much of the Black Lives Matter activity within the Wellesley School System has remained within that community, School Committee Chair Linda Chow at last week’s committee meeting said one challenge remaining is that of educating and engaging with the whole community. “I see that there’s a great opportunity to collaborate between the schools and the town,” she said.

The Town of Wellesley has discussed bringing in a diversity, equity & inclusion consultant and has launched a civil discourse program to help the community address difficult topics civilly. Those efforts are still in relatively early stages.

Webinar hopes to inspire Wellesley residents to ditch gas-powered tools

June 16, 2021 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

Sustainable Wellesley has partnered with the Electrify Coalition to present a webinar on electric outdoor power tools on June 23, 3pm-4pm. Experts in the in outdoor maintenance industry will be on hand to discuss the environmental advantages of transitioning away from gas-powered tools.

Agenda items:

How much air pollution and toxic solid waste is produced by gas powered tools
Why the noise and emissions from these tools is not just a nuisance
How battery-powered tools deliver performance and productivity that rivals gas
The advantages of electric: low operation and maintenance costs, ease of operation
Tips for homeowners wanting to make the switch
The transition happening in the commercial landscape maintenance industry
How cities, schools and communities can electrify their fleets
The concept of certified Green Zones – fossil fuel free public outdoor spaces

Wellesley Public Schools’ outgoing head of nursing shares parting advice based on COVID-19 lessons learned

June 15, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Wellesley Public Schools’ Director of Nursing Services Linda Corridan is getting set to retire, going out with a bang after managing the schools’ COVID-19 and other healthcare management efforts these past 2 years.

She recapped during this past week’s School Committee meeting her team’s tremendous efforts over the past 2 school years, with plenty of compliments shared for the Board of Health and others in town that helped throughout the process. You can catch her entire presentation beginning at about the hour-and-a-half mark in the Wellesley Media recording.

But we’ll share her parting recommendations for the School Department and School Committee, since it seems as though she just might have learned a few things during the pandemic and over 22 years as a school nurse.

State guidelines, such as for social distancing, will likely be quite loosened for the start of of the next school year. But some things that worked well during the pandemic deserve to stay, Corridan stressed.

This includes hand washing. “Don’t lose that practice. Keep up those hand sanitizer stations. Keep up that hand washing. Everyone washed their hands this year and it worked well.”

Fresh air, obvious in hindsight, also worked wonders. “The fresh air and being outside was just awesome. From my office I look out over Kingsbury Street and I saw middle school students sitting outside having lunch. And I saw students outside going for a walk around the block for a mask break. In years past, our students in the middle school and high school rarely got outside during the school day unless they were outside for PE class… I can tell you, after getting outside, getting some fresh air, just changing the scenery, they were back in class and ready to learn.”

When people were sick this past year, they stayed home, adhering to school messaging about doing so if they had any symptoms. Corridan acknowledges she hasn’t always been one to do this, and knows many others have sucked it up and gone to work sick in the past, such as teachers afraid to miss this or that lesson, or not wanting to deal with getting a sub. “Parents really were awesome about keeping sick kids home,” she said.

Finally, Corridan noted that the weeks before February and April vacations are usually a “nursing nightmare” full of sickly school community members desperately in need of a break. This time around, the school was relatively healthy, indicating that what the schools and families were doing worked.